Sir Hardy Amies might best be remembered as the official dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth II but before his royal appointment Amies was one of the most innovative menswear designers in Savile Row history. Many of the standard practices of the modern menswear industry started with Hardy Amies Ltd. In 1961 Amies staged a men’s runway show at the Savoy Hotel in London with a set, a soundtrack and finale bow. In 1959 Amies launched a designer collaboration with a London department store, decades before Lagerfeld for H&M. After Amies retirement the brand declined and finally declared bankruptcy. In 2008 Hong Kong based Li & Fung acquired the Hardy Amies brand and is currently in the process of rebuilding the business.

Now under the creative direction of Claire Malcolm, the house has not lost its sense of history. Malcolm, who previously worked with Kanye West and Kim Jones, presented her first Hardy Amies show, Autumn Winter 2011, at London Fashion Week. After showing her Fall 2012 collection at Pitti Uomo in Florence the brand has now made it to Pairs. The Spring 2013 Paris show was a dapper display of fitted suits for a veritable Englishman: broad rolled shoulders framing peaked and shawl lapels, cut in styles from the houses glory days.

Highlights From Hardy Amies Spring 2013

Designer Claire Malcolm